{"product_id":"2940013446663","title":"The Plant Hunters","description":"CHAPTER ONE.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTHE PLANT-HUNTER.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A Plant-Hunter! what is that?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"We have heard of fox-hunters, of deer-hunters, of bear and\u003cbr\u003ebuffalo-hunters, of lion-hunters, and of `boy-hunters;' of a\u003cbr\u003eplant-hunter never.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Stay!  Truffles are plants.  Dogs are used in finding them; and the\u003cbr\u003ecollector of these is termed a truffle-hunter.  Perhaps this is what the\u003cbr\u003eCaptain means?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo, my boy reader.  Something very different from that.  My plant-hunter\u003cbr\u003eis no fungus-digger.  His occupation is of a nobler kind than\u003cbr\u003econtributing merely to the capricious palate of the gourmand.  To his\u003cbr\u003elabours the whole civilised world is indebted--yourself among the rest.\u003cbr\u003eYes, you owe him gratitude for many a bright joy.  For the varied sheen\u003cbr\u003eof your garden you are indebted to him.  The gorgeous dahlia that nods\u003cbr\u003eover the flower-bed--the brilliant peony that sparkles on the parterre--\u003cbr\u003ethe lovely camelia that greets you in the greenhouse,--the kalmias, the\u003cbr\u003eazaleas, the rhododendrons, the starry jessamines, the gerania, and a\u003cbr\u003ethousand other floral beauties, are, one and all of them, the gifts of\u003cbr\u003ethe plant-hunter.  By his agency England--cold cloudy England--has\u003cbr\u003ebecome a garden of flowers, more varied in species and brighter in bloom\u003cbr\u003ethan those that blossomed in the famed valley of Cashmere.  Many of the\u003cbr\u003enoble trees that lend grace to our English landscape,--most of the\u003cbr\u003ebeautiful shrubs that adorn our villas, and gladden the prospect from\u003cbr\u003eour cottage-windows, are the produce of his industry.  But for him, many\u003cbr\u003efruits, and vegetables, and roots, and berries, that garnish your table\u003cbr\u003eat dinner and dessert, you might never have tasted.  But for him these\u003cbr\u003edelicacies might never have reached your lips.  A good word, then, for\u003cbr\u003ethe plant-hunter!","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47079451230448,"sku":"2940013446663","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013446663_p0.jpg?v=1763581038","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013446663","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}